This varies from publisher to publisher and from subject to subject. Research regarding master's theses indicated that most (not all) book publishers wouldn't consider a master's thesis as a finished product an therefore wouldn't consider deposit into a repository as prior publication.
For journals this should be investigated on a case by case basis. For example a professional journal might not look at a senior thesis in the repository as prior publication, but a journal of undergraduate research probably will. The difference is the intended audience and the type of papers the journals want to publish.
If your student wants to publish, the Library is happy to investigate the potential copyright issues and submission agreements for the journal in which they want to publish.
Contact us at dominican.scholar@dominican.edu
